Tata Motors moves first $2,500 Nano in Mumbai
By Laura June 
posted July 17th 2009 7:01PM
posted July 17th 2009 7:01PM
We've been following the development of Tata Motors' Nano -- a teeny little car whose main claim to fame is its tiny price tag of about $2,500 -- since way back when it was only an announcement. Well, today the cycle is complete: the first Nano has officially been sold to Mumbai resident Ashok Vichare, who says he bought the car (his first) because it's the smallest and cheapest sold in India. The company held a lottery to decide who could purchase the first 100,000 Nanos, and says its got a waiting list of about a year for further cars.
Woah. It looks like a Prius with a huge ass bumper from the front view...
I haven't been to india, but my impression in a lot of other countries where "drivers are crazy" is that the odds of getting killed or seriously injured are worst in the US. The problem is not the speed or the size of the cars, but the attitude of the drivers. In the US, drivers feel they OWN the road and have a god given right to travel unimpeded at 60mph no matter what. If a bicycle, slow vehicle, or any inconvenience appears, the response in belligerence and anger. I other countries, there are plenty of interruptions and drivers expect it. More importantly they don't view bicycles and scooters as a personal affront. Action is fast and at close quarters, but the at least the driver is not TRYING to hurt you.
Agreed. Whenever I go back to Seoul or Tokyo, I feel like a huge jackass while unlearning my US habits for the first couple of days.
In the US there are more freeways and highways. Those are where many of the fatalities happen.
You should try driving in Saudi, most people wouldn't last 5 minutes there.
I'd rather have 2,500 Western Bacon Cheeseburgers or iPhone service for a month instead of this.
i guess that's why u guys are considered to be dumbest people on earth
Dignity
strange that it was sold to a Mumbai resident but with Delhi registration...
@murmermer
FYI, you should probably stop reading comics for your facts. Census does take place in India but not that often
Have these guys never taken an Econ class? If they are outstripped for 1yr+ they are clearly selling for too low of a price!
Not that I would touch that POS.
Looking at the picture, I figure the first safety violation was "Do not over inflate".
I'd hit it.
And then it would explode.
Looks like $5k a year is entry level technical.... but only goes up to $20k a year (in India), so, if you make $5k a year, you should be able to afford one of theses..... but what about the rest of the country, I bet they are like in China, where allot of people make nothing....
Hmm.... "Save The Tata's?" Is that what those bumper stickers where talking about?!
Oh yeah.. So what do all you Canadians and Americans think that we shd produce some oil guzzlers that sip gallons of oil before moving even an inch. Americans, you still have to ratify the Kyoto protocol, you're the most polluting people in the planet (30%). If you've any doubts then please go and see An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore.. It will enlighten you.. you're so called $10000 or more priced vehicle pollute so much and have such a bad fuel efficiency that I think that it is a piece of crap...
Al Gore could poop on a plate and you would eat it and ask for seconds!
When you can explain why they changed it from global warming to climate change you will understand al gore was full of crap
@murmermer, please get an education. Or, read.
CO2 in the atmosphere affects all aspects of 'climate.'
'Climate' is more than 'temperature.'
Got it?
are you people blind ,the number is of DELHI and launched in MUMBAI ,what an IDEA.....haha ....Wrong news Dimag ki baati jal gayiiii....
Dude, that's not an 'Actual' registration no. It's sort of a 'temp' while the vehicle is still in the showroom and is yet to be officially registered by the RTO ('Regional Transport Office'). If you look closely, the 'Registration' Plate says 'Tata Nano'. That's the place where the official registration no. will be after registration from the RTO.
It's a temporary plate.
I hear a lot about Tata car but when it will be sell in USA?
Never unless they change the design drastically. Again there are standards for a reason in the US. They aren't meeting those standards and its why the thing is cheap as hell. well that and unless I'm drastically mistaken no union in India.
From Wikipedia: "The car is very fuel efficient, achieving around 26.00km/l on the highway and around 22.00km/l in the city."
Wow.
I come from a fairly well off Indian family where we own some really nice cars. At first, I too thought that the Nano is gonna really clog up the roads and shouldn't be made available. But when you really think about it, the poor people also have as much right to own a car. If the government has to control the number of cars on the road, it should be done across all types of cars at all price points.
As far as the car being junk goes, I agree, but it's a dream come true for a lot of people.
I dnt seem to agree with you. The question that should be asked is wether we have the infrastructure to handle it. The answer is we dont.
I am from Mumbai & i know it would add to the mess with all the bikes & rickshaws.
From the safety point of view I dnt see why such small cars would need ABS & power steering. Air Bags is again controversial, the safety norms in India are not strict. Airbags in not a requirement. Most Indian cars dont have it. The WORLD should not worry as and when the car launches in their country they will have Airbags. the use of airbag if you are gonna drive it at 50 kmph Whats
We might not have the infrastructure to add many more cars to the road, but why the Nano? Why not all other cars too? Sure the Nano will sell more because of it's price, but regulate all cars. It's only fair.
Apart from this, what we really need is the government to have proper driving tests before issuing a license. Where is the concept of lane driving? I drive to work everyday using an 8-lane expressway and that too can be a pain sometimes. You can have the widest roads, but if you have bikes zig-zagging around you and pr1cks driving at 40kmph on the right-most lane, it's still gonna be as bad.
airbags? hmm.. they said that driving in plastic constructed car will need the nerve of steel. hehehee...
In an event of collision, the drivers will say "wow... the airbags saved my head... but i lost my arm, legs and waist down".... hehehehe
Ken Doll Sold separately.
You want to know why its so cheap? One guess and the hint is why its not available in the US. *coughs*emissioncontrol*coughs*safety*coughs* I'll be interested in what smog is like in 10 years in areas where these things are in high density....my money is its going to make Beijing look like the middle of a rainforest.
PS- Before someone mentions the 2.5 years, theoretical launch in the US....guess how long a redesign takes? Again it would have to pass a whole hell of a battery of standards that I highly doubt it would currently do, and doing so would increase the price.
PS- Tata is a shit company anyways. Ive dealt with their consulting service. Their techs based out of India are some of the most cluless people I've ever dealt with. Seriously. I'm trying to explain what is going on with the server and they do not "get it". This is not a raciest thing. Its an employing-qualified-people-who-have-the-brains-to-think-on-their-own-and-figure-out-a-problem-without-needing-a-script thing. Seriously every time I dealt with their techs I was about to put my head through the server rack.
From the Telegraph UK report I can easily see them producing with more safety features, airbags, ac, power steering, co2 emission pass, more hp and ship it to the States like England around 2012-2014 range. Price will probably fall around $5,6k. I'd buy one to be frank, they made a nice compact vehicle that needs some work in progress.
"Drivers are Crazy" in India! WTF is this? Some kind of stereotype? Is it the next iteration of Gods Must be Crazy series?
Drivers are not crazy in India, its the Transit Authority and the whole system. Go and see driving of the folks in city like Chandigarh and Pune. Traffic rules r most stringent in Chandigarh and here u are not allowed to skip for traffic misdemeanors with a rather slap on the wrist Traffic ticket. Cops here immediately confiscate ur license and impound ur vehicle too on the spot. That's a totally different issue that let u slip after u pass 'em couple of quids. Tata's Nano is not a production car, rather a socio-economic experiment as there r going to be only 100,000 of these for sale and since it has been made for India only, stop comparing it with US cars and how it would perform there. Its car for small family, mileage conscious people. Those who do have money buy Hyundai,Suzuki cars here. As for Airbags, well everybody hopes that the situation may never arise when one has to pray for their deployment and accidents in India are of extremes, either u survive unscathed or u die! People here need education regarding Traffic system and lane driving. Travel on any national highway and u'll see people properly following traffic and lane laws. People aren't bad drivers here, situation and circumstances make 'em such.
Indians learn to drive mostly from their peers, we don't have proper driving instructors here and detailed driving tests like in U.S but the fact remains. Ours is a system of harmony in chaos, it may suck but still works and gets the job done.
Why the hell don't you leave the Indians alone? What's with you if they want to drive that thing?
I'm tired of this American/European BS trying to tell the world what to do. Fix you houses first, for they need fixing.
You're talking way too much sense, my friend. It's wasted here.
@ Chris
" No Airbags
No Power anything
624 CC motor, that's 0.6L
43 MPH top speed
Plastic and Steel
Glue not welding is the preferred method of construction.
If you were hit in this by any CAN on the road in the US you would be killed. "
of i thought america was clean!!!
Jealous Americans!!!
FYI. It passed European crash standards. Do some research before posting
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/14/report-tata-nano-passes-european-crash-testing/
show me your tatas!
pre-coffee humor today ;d
did any1 see the crash test for this car... ;D
front crumbles like a soda can, rest remains intact. you take all the force.
but then again, no one in mumbai drives over like 30 mph lol
just what we need, a developing country increasing their carbon footprint, and on the cheap no-less.
And what have you done to decrease yours? Just shut the flying fuck up. Bitch
Before climbing to to the Moral Highground pedestal, let us look into some facts:
which country has max PER CAPITA CO2 emissions?
Which country has max PER CAPITA energy consumption ?
Which country has done max damage to environment by nuclear explosions, Agent Orange blah blah and blah?
Well if every one becomes as irresponsible (environmentally) and belligerent as U Americans , even for Planets will fall short to accomodate.
So get your head outta your a$$ and ponder.
Calling Indians bad drivers :-O,,,,look at any US/Canada Taxi Stand or look behind the wind sheild of a truck on US/Canada highway
yes, but how many mp3 can it hold?
Woah, a carbon bicycle costs more than that. On the the other hand, if you are fit you can probably go faster on the bike as the acceleration on this thing is probably somewhat less than stellar.
i wonder who's gonna win the tata or the cow.
Lucky for them they aren't so obese like we are.
TATA now owns Jaguar and Land rover
Review of the Nano
http://www.zigwheels.com/Reviews/Tata-Nano-First-Drive/Nano_20090323-1-8